The Legacy
by SanseiAme
Summary: Lucy is the daughter of a wealthy museum curator and the world's greatest female archaeologist. When her mother dies after being wounded on an expedition, leaving an artifact behind for Lucy, it's up to her to uncover its secrets and keep it from falling into the wrong hands. And how is a certain rosy-haired boy connected into all of this? And what does he want with Lucy? Nalu AU


Prologue

**Author's Note: ta-da! A new real story! I was originally going to put this off until ****_To Be Lucky_**** was finished, but since it still has thirteen chapters to go before its end, I came to the conclusion that it would just take too long. Plus I was just too excited. I'm having a good feeling about this one, so I'm hoping you guys will favorite it, and follow it, and review it! Just to be honest, it might have a slow beginning, but don't worry. Just like any other story, the plot will thicken with time.**

**Special shout out to LuckyGingerCat for giving me this idea. I hope I do it justice, and I look forward to hearing your feedback. Thanks for reading, you guys! Please, please, ****_please_**** leave a review, and I'll see you next time. Cover photo belongs to MisterSev7n from deviantART.**

* * *

When Lucy step foot inside the tomb, the world around her went silent. It was _incredible. _She was standing in King Rorek's tomb, his body standing against the back wall, preserved in amber like a fossil. On either side of him were two of his guards with their heads bowed and arms crossed over their chests, mummified. In the middle of the room was a stone pedestal, an artifact lying on top of it.

Lucy swallowed the lump in her throat and stepped forward, observing the object as she stepped around the pedestal, approaching the tomb's main attraction. As she stood before Rorek himself, a small smile slowly faded onto her lips and an awestruck, shaky exhale left her mouth. Her chocolate brown eyes leaving his face to look above him, she noticed his epitaph, engraved in the stone wall. She recognized the language, and read it aloud.

"Here lies King Rorek, one of the rulers of the North, keeper of the Crystal Dagger of Youth." She grinned and looked back down to the king himself, taking a step back and bowing in respect. "I apologize for intruding on your privacy, Milord," she said. "It's nothing personal. It's just business. I hope you can understand." She straightened up and stepped forward again, running a hand over the amber. "I wouldn't do this if I didn't have to." Suddenly, the guard to her right growled and lurched forward at her.

Gasping in surprise, the blonde archaeologist leapt back and removed the two kunai-shaped blades she had strapped to her belt. The mummy fell to the floor, unmoving. Lucy pointed the blade in her right hand toward it, lifting it up at Rorek, then back down. It was silent for a moment. Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, Lucy took a step back, keeping her blade at the ready. When nothing happened, she reattached her weapons to her belt, walking backwards to the pedestal.

She turned to it, looking down at the dagger that lay in the middle. It took her breath away. The blade was entirely made of dark purple crystal. _Probably amethyst,_ she thought to herself. _Or maybe even tanzanite._ And the hilt was black stone, and the shine it possessed made it look like obsidian. "Incredible," she breathed, reaching toward it. Gently wrapping her fingers around the hilt, she lifted the dagger off the pedestal, examining it more closely. She could see her reflection on the blade, and the hilt fit snugly in her hand.

The ground gave a violent shudder, and dust fell from the ceiling. "Uh, oh," she murmured, shrugging her backpack off her shoulders and setting it on the pedestal. "That's my cue to leave." She tenderly set the dagger in her backpack, swinging it back over her shoulders, and made a break for the tomb's entrance. Once out of the room, she turned around to the sound of growling. The amber had cracked open, and Rorek was stepping out, slowly making his way toward her. But before he could get to her, the ceiling of the entranceway collapsed, blocking off entry from either side. "Collapsing tomb, Rorek? Seriously? How cliché of you."

And with that, she began booking it for the exit. The whole place was falling around her, and it seemed to close in on her when she finally saw the light of the outside. She leapt out of the tomb at the last second, diving into the body of water below. The entrance was hidden behind a waterfall, at the very top. It took two hours for her to get up there, but it was nothing new. This was her job.

Lucy Heartfilia was a twenty-two-year-old archaeologist. She was the daughter of the wealthy museum curator, Jude Heartfilia, and the world's greatest female archaeologist, Layla Heartfilia. She went wherever her father told her to go, and would retrieve whatever artifact he told her to retrieve. She didn't mean to brag, but she was damn good at her job. Her father's friends always tell her that she's an apple that didn't fall very far from the tree, a chip off the old block.

And as she swam to the surface of the water, she mentally congratulated herself for another job well done. The first thing she heard when she emerged out of the water was, "Lucy, the great archaeologist returns!" Brushing her wet bangs out of her eyes, she turned toward the sound of the voice and saw one of her expedition partners, Gray Fullbuster, waiting on the shore for her. She smiled and swam toward him, gratefully taking his outstretched hand.

"That was a graceful leap," he praised with a chuckle as he helped her out of the water.

"Thank you," she laughed, ringing out her hair. "Anything happen while I was in there?"

"Not really. Nothing more than a few birds and a deer. I assume you got it, then?"

"Sure did. I'll show you when we get back to the others." The two of them bumped fists.

Gray Fullbuster was a year older than Lucy, and had worked with her for years. His family has close ties with the Heartfilia family. He was six foot three with unruly black hair and navy blue eyes. He goes with Lucy on expeditions most of the time, and for the rare cases that combat is involved, he has a pair of custom-made brass knuckles, called Ice Knuckles. He's a very capable fighter, trained in several styles of martial arts since he was little. He's also good at making things, and is usually the team's tech guy. If Lucy needs a new grappling hook, or more advanced climbing gear, or if the team needs new means of communicating - like the waterproof earpieces they use - he's the one that makes them.

The trek through the forest back to the team's carriage seemed a lot quicker than the trek to the tomb's location. "Lucy-san! Gray-san! You guys are back!" shouted the youngest member of the team, Wendy Marvell. She was seventeen years old. Don't let her age fool you. She fights like a champ and knows more about medicine than anyone else her age. She's basically the team's doctor. Her weapon is called the Gale Force Fan. In terms of appearance, it's similar to a traditional Japanese fan. It's green with pink lotuses and spikes protruding out the end. She uses it like a boomerang. When it flies through the air, her enemies are either sliced with the protruding spikes, or knocked off their feet by the gust of wind it creates.

"Hey, Wendy," Gray greeted, giving her a little pat on the head.

"How did it go?" Erza Scarlet asked from inside the carriage, sharpening her sword, the Excalibur. Erza is twenty-five, and is the most experienced fighter of the group. The Excalibur had a Renaissance style and was normal in size, the blade - made of rhenium diboride - extending about two and a half feet from the hilt. In the center of the hilt, right beneath the guard, was a dark red ruby. Erza was always sharpening it to make sure it stays at pristine condition. You would never see even a fingerprint on the blade. The only thing you would ever see on that thing would be your own reflection, or the blood of Erza's opponents.

"Perfectly," Lucy answered, hopping inside the carriage to sit beside Erza, Gray and Wendy following behind. Erza nodded and tapped the hilt of Excalibur on the seat twice, and the carriage began to move on its own, heading down to the train station.

"Let's see it, then!" Gray exclaimed impatiently, gesturing toward her backpack.

"Alright, alright." Lucy reached into her backpack and pulled out the dagger. "Lo and behold, the Crystal Dagger of Youth," she said dramatically.

"Holy shit," Gray muttered, carefully taking it into his hands.

"It's so pretty..." Wendy gasped.

"What crystal is used for the blade, I wonder?" Erza said, taking it from Gray.

"I want to say amethyst," Lucy replied. "Or purple tanzanite."

"What about tourmaline?" Gray asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"It's rare for tourmaline to be purple," Lucy explained. "Not to mention tourmaline that _is_ purple is usually a powder purple rather than violet." She looked at the dagger, pursing her lips in thought. "Considering the texture, though, I suppose it could be tourmaline. If it is, the value is probably doubled because of the rarity."

"What about the hilt?" Wendy inquired.

"Looks like obsidian to me."

"How do you know all of this, Lucy?" Erza questioned, handing the dagger back to her.

"I'm an archaeologist," she answered simply. "I need to know things like this." She grinned, turning the dagger over in her hands. "It's said that whoever owned this dagger was given eternal youth. Oh, the things treasure hunters and mercenaries would do to get their hands on it."

"Getting greedy, are we, Lucy?" Gray smirked, leaning back in his seat. Lucy scoffed.

"Of course not! I don't care about the money. It's just an incredible feeling to actually be holding something this legendary, you know? I'm surprised the Crystal Dagger of Youth was so easy to retrieve. You'd think King Rorek would have a better defense mechanism."

"What I don't understand," Gray began, folding his arms, "is how Rorek died in the first place."

"What do you mean, Gray-san?" Wendy asked.

"Well, he was the owner of the Crystal Dagger, wasn't he? If the legend is true, that whoever owned the dagger was given eternal youth, he wouldn't have been able to die of old age, right?"

"Haven't you heard the story?" Erza asked, her brows furrowing. "Rorek didn't just die. He was killed. By whom, no one knows. He was stabbed in his sleep. He may have had eternal youth, but that didn't make him immortal."

"Was there anything else that was interesting in the tomb, Lucy-san?" Wendy asked, folding her legs under herself. Lucy thought for a moment, staring out the window of the carriage at the trees of the forest as they passed by. She turned back to the group when something came back to her.

"There was actually," she said slowly, folding her arms. "Rorek's body was preserved in a huge sphere of amber, and he was standing against the wall at the far end of the tomb. On either side of him was a mummified guard. I was standing in front of him, and I touched the amber, when one of the guards growled and leapt at me."

"A mummy... _attacked_ you?" Gray repeated slowly, leaning forward slightly. The carriage ran over a bump, causing everyone to jerk in their seats. Wendy, being the smallest, nearly fell over.

"Yeah, but when I moved away from Rorek and held up the Key Blades, it just slumped on the floor and didn't move after that. It was really weird."

"That is rather peculiar..." Erza said, folding her arms and closing her eyes as she thought. "You're certain you didn't just imagine it?"

"Erza, I'm pretty sure I didn't imagine a mummy growling and leaping at me."

"Alright, alright. Just thought I'd ask."

The group was silent for a minute, listening to the sounds from outside. The magical carriage curved through the trees without a hitch, as if someone had been driving it. The thing had cost a lot of money, fifty thousand Jewels for just six hours. Lucy nearly exploded with rage, but decided that the reward for doing what she came there to do would make up for it in the end. Besides, the asshole they gave the money to wasn't worth staining their hands with.

"So what's the plan?" Gray inquired finally. Lucy looked at him, switching her gaze to Erza, and then to Wendy.

"Simple," she answered. "We get to the train station, return this carriage, head back to the estate, and claim our reward. Soon after everyone gets their cut, we'll take a little time off before my father gives us another job."

"Magnolia is having a festival in a few days," Wendy piped up. "The sakura trees are blooming. We could go there."

"Sounds like a plan," Erza said, smiling as she cross her legs and leaned back.

* * *

**Heartfilia Estate**

"Father, it's me," Lucy said as she knocked on the door to her father's office. "I have returned from my expedition. May I come in?"

There was a pause.

"You may come in." Lucy opened the door and stepped inside the large office, closing the door behind her. "How was the expedition, Lucy?" he asked as she approached him at his desk.

"It was a success," she answered, unstrapping the Crystal Dagger from her belt and setting it gently on his desk. Jude looked at it for a moment, before lifting his eyes to meet hers.

"Any injuries?"

"Nothing Wendy couldn't handle."

"Any complications?"

"No."

"Come with me, Lucy," he commanded, abruptly standing from his chair and stepping around the desk. Lucy stayed where she stood, her eyes widening slightly. "I have another job for you."

"But, Papa," she protested. "We just got back from Stella an hour ago. We made plans for the next few days, and we're not ready to get back on the road."

"Lucy," Jude said firmly, turning around to face her. Lucy fell silent as their gazes remained locked for a moment. "This is important, Lucy. Come with me." Without another word, he turned on his heel and headed for the door. The woman stared at him for a moment before reluctantly following him out of the office and down the long corridors. Finally, he led her into a large room with books lined all along the walls.

"The library?" she said, confused. "What are we doing here?" Jude didn't say anything, but continued to lead her deeper into the library, going up the stairs and into one of the study rooms that Lucy used to occupy when she was a child studying for her homework. He walked to the back wall of the room and reached up to one of the books. He pushed it in further, and the bookshelf on the left side of the door slid over, blocking off the entrance. Lucy watched with confused eyes as her father stepped up to the glass case that had just been revealed when the bookshelf moved.

"I'm sorry I haven't told you about this sooner," he said in a far off voice as he opened the glass case and took out a small package. "But she made me promise." He turned to her. "She told me to give it to you when you were ready."

"Wait," she said, holding up a hand. "Who are you talking about, Papa? Who made you promise?"

"Layla." Lucy froze, her face going slack. He held out the package. "This is from her." She took it carefully, stunned as she looked down at it. This is from... her mother? But... her mother died when she was thirteen! She looked up at Jude.

"Papa... how-"

"She gave it to me after her expedition in Bosco, the day before she died." They stared at each other for a long moment. Lucy was at a complete loss for words. When the silence became unbearable, Jude motioned for her to open the small box she had in her hands. She slowly turned toward the desk behind her, setting it down with shaking hands. Hesitantly, she opened it. Inside was an object, curving slightly in the middle. One end was sharp, while the other was relatively flat. She lifted it out of the box to inspect it.

It was about three inches in length, about a quarter of an inch in diameter, and black in color. Lucy had never seen anything like it before. Humming as she thought, she looked down into the box to see if there was anything else. At the bottom, there was a small folded piece of paper. Setting the object beside the package, she reached in and pulled the paper out. When she unfolded it, she recognized her mother's handwriting immediately.

_My dearest Lucy,_

_I'm not sure how old you will be when you read this, but I assume it's been several years. I am sorry I was not able to see you grow into a woman. I am certain you're very beautiful and smart and talented. And now, that you are of age, I am passing this on to you. The black artifact that came with this letter is called Acnologia's Tooth, and it is one of the six deadliest artifacts known to existence, called the Dark Relics. I do not know the extent of their power, nor do I know their purpose. But I do know this: the rest of them must be found and destroyed. That is what I want you to do. You must find the other five Dark Relics, and destroy them. For good. The Tooth was found in a temple in Bosco, as well as the Dragon Scale. I was not able to recover the Scale, however. Find a man named Amaranth. He plans to gather the Relics to resurrect the darkest entity to have ever walked the land. Do whatever you can to stop will find another one of the Relics in the county of Minstrel. I am sorry, but that is all I can tell you. I trust you will make the right decisions._

_-Mama._

Lucy read the letter over three more times, but it didn't seem to get clearer to her. None of this made any sense. What was "the darkest entity to have ever walked the land"? Why couldn't she tell her more? There were so many questions that she didn't have any answers to. She didn't know why her mother left her this Tooth, or why she was chosen to do this. But what she _did_ know was that whatever Layla wanted her to do, it was important, and it was probably her dying wish as well.

"Papa?" she said, straightening her back.

"Yes, Lucy?"

She didn't respond for a minute, reaching down to grasp the Tooth. She turned it over in her hands.

"I'm heading out to Minstrel in the morning."


End file.
